the_rookiefandomcom-20200213-history
The Night General transcript
THE ROOKIE Season 2, Episode 2 "The Night General" Transcribed by Pegship EXT. STREET, NIGHT CHEN, NOLAN, and WEST are dropping WEST off at his place after an evening out. They’re in NOLAN’s SUV. NOLAN Okay, here we are. WEST Thank you for being our designated driver. NOLAN Oh, I figured you needed to blow off a little steam after the week you had. CHEN Forget about being left back. You just need to make peace with being back in long sleeves. I have. NOLAN No, you haven't. CHEN No, I haven't. (spots a stoned-looking person wandering out of an alley) Oh, guys. NOLAN rolls forward to get a look down the alley, where someone in a hoodie is making a deal with another customer. WEST gets out his cell phone and calls DISPATCH. DISPATCH 911, what is your emergency? WEST This is off-duty officer Jackson West, badge 33356. I need a unit to my home for an on-view suspect dealing 11-3. CHEN and WEST exit the vehicle and start to walk into the alley while NOLAN drives away. NOLAN I'm gonna cut around the back side, cut 'em off. The dealer spots CHEN and WEST and starts to walk away. CHEN Police. Get down on the ground, keep your hands where I can see them. The dealer starts to run, rookies in pursuit. WEST Foot pursuit! Westbound in the alley! Suspect's a male, white, 5'10", 200 pounds. CHEN and WEST are gaining on the dealer, chasing him down the alley until NOLAN steps out and “clotheslines” the man, bringing him down. CHEN (on WEST’s phone) Suspect in custody. WEST picks up a bag of drugs that has fallen on the ground, then yanks the hood off the dealer’s head. WEST Yo, you slinging dope in my neighborhood? Mr. Wilson? WILSON Oh, hey, Jackson. NOLAN (to WEST) You know this guy? WEST Yeah, he's my landlord. EXT. NOLAN'S HOUSE, DAY NOLAN has apparently bought a house that can only be described as a fixer-upper; most of the walls seem to have been stripped and he’s cramming debris into a trash barrel. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - SGT. GREY'S OFFICE GREY walks into his office with NOLAN in tow. GREY You ever heard of a Night General? NOLAN No, sir. GREY Night General Detectives. They respond to any major crime scene after normal business hours. They work the case until it's assigned. They have to be a master in everything because they see everything. NOLAN Sounds impressive. GREY It is. And most of them got the attitude to go with it. DET. NICK ARMSTRONG enters after tapping on the doorjamb. ARMSTRONG This my tour guide? I thought you were assigning me a rookie. NOLAN I am a rookie, sir. John Nolan. ARMSTRONG Nick Armstrong. GREY Detective Armstrong is our new Night Detective. He asked for a patrol officer to show him around, help him get familiar with our division. ARMSTRONG Yeah, I just did a ten spot up in the seven-seven, so I don't know none of the players in this part of town. Hell, I don't know where to get a decent cup of coffee. NOLAN Well, I got you covered on the coffee. I'll do my best on the rest. ARMSTRONG Fair enough. GREY All right, it's roll call time. You want to come? ARMSTRONG Yeah. First day of school, might as well meet the other kids. GREY heads off to the briefing room as ARMSTRONG and NOLAN follow him. NOLAN Were you Night General back at the seven-seven? ARMSTRONG Yeah. Last five years. After my wife died, I found the nights the hardest, so I filled 'em. NOLAN Oh, I'm sorry. ARMSTRONG Married? NOLAN Divorced. ARMSTRONG Before or after you signed up? NOLAN Before. Part of the catalyst to make the change. ARMSTRONG Change is hard. I hate it, man. But here I am. NOLAN Life is contradictory. ARMSTRONG Tell me about it. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BRIEFING ROOM GREY Settle down. Find a seat. First up, I'd like to congratulate Officer Jackson West on the fine pinch last night. No crook is safe from Officer West, not even his landlord. Applause from the assembled cops. GREY hands WEST a form. WEST Letter of commendation? GREY Change of address form. Your apartment is now considered a "house of ill repute" - and under asset seizure. We need your new address by tomorrow, even if it's Mama's house. All right. This sharp-dressed man in the doorway is Detective Nick Armstrong. He'll be in the field after hours for your detecting needs. Yes, Officer Lopez? LOPEZ Detective Armstrong, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "patrol friendly" and 10 is "making us guard a cleared crime scene in the pouring rain 'cause you get "a power trip off of it," where do you stand? GREY Lopez. ARMSTRONG No, it's all right, Sarge. I appreciate a direct question. A lot of cops take off the uniform, they put on the suit. Suddenly, they think they're better than the officers in this room. I'm not one of them. Patrol is where it all happens. It's fast, honest, pure, raw. 85% of all crimes are solved at the patrol level. So, the way I see it, I am here to help you, not the other way around. And if that doesn't win you over, I have five dozen of the finest donuts in the break room. That's all I'm saying. SMITTY Detective, you think you can buy us with donuts? ARMSTRONG Absolutely not. Maybe rent you, though. GREY Okay, are we done? Good, 'cause we're done. Be safe out there. Bradford, let me see you a sec. (as BRADFORD and CHEN pause) Chief Williams added another book to your Sergeant's Exam reading list. BRADFORD (reading the title) Split Second Leadership: Leading Men In The Line Of Duty. CHEN Men? BRADFORD It's from the '60s. How is this relevant to 21st-century policing? GREY Ours is not to reason why, Officer Bradford. Read the book. BRADFORD Yes, sir. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION – SALLY PORT WEST and LOPEZ are loading up their shop. WEST Sergeant Grey is setting me up to fail. You see that, right? LOPEZ No. I really don't. WEST Come on, there's no way I'm gonna find someplace to live in one day. LOPEZ Not with that attitude. WEST Seven to ten days would be a reasonable amount of time. LOPEZ It's at the sergeant's discretion. WEST Just like sticking me back in long sleeves was at his discretion. You know, I know two guys from the academy who both got 80s, and they're both in short sleeves. Why's he penalizing me? LOPEZ You know, I think I liked you better when you were a coward. You complained less. INT. POLICE UNIT - BRADFORD/CHEN BRADFORD If I have to suffer, so do you. So, you're gonna read this out loud to me between calls. Only way I'm gonna get it memorized in time. CHEN Or I could drive and you could read it to yourself. BRADFORD Nice try. Start reading. CHEN Okay. "Chapter One. True leadership generates respect, not fear. It elevates people, rather than diminishing them." I like this book. BRADFORD You would. Keep reading. CHEN (reading) "The number-one mistake new leaders make is to think themselves suddenly infallible. The best leaders understand that even the lowliest patrol officer has something valuable to teach them." Repeat that last part back to me. (off his look) Memorizing is all about repetition. Trust me. I'm a psych major. I know this stuff. BRADFORD “The best leaders understand that even the lowliest patrol officer has something valuable to teach them.” CHEN Again. DISPATCH 7-Adam-19, family disturbance at 217 Evergreen. BRADFORD Thank God. CHEN 7-Adam-19, copy. En route. Okay, ETA three minutes. Time to read some more. "An open mind and an open door." INT. POLICE UNIT - NOLAN/ARMSTRONG ARMSTRONG And that's why phase three recruits all have tan left arms. NOLAN I am not gonna lie, the change to short sleeves has been life-altering. ARMSTRONG I remember it well. Then I quickly moved into suits. I mean, it's not as hot as wool, but it's not cool, either. NOLAN How long did it take you to make the move? ARMSTRONG What? Detective? Four years. NOLAN I didn't think that was possible. ARMSTRONG Yeah, well, I'm still the only cop who's done it. But I still wonder if I moved too quickly. NOLAN Well, speaking as someone who wants to move up rapidly, I am officially your number-one fan. If there's any hints you can dispense, I am all ears. ARMSTRONG You hook me up on the local 4-1-1, and I'll dispense a little knowledge. NOLAN Deal. DISPATCH All units, incoming four-fifteen. Shaw Memorial. Security fighting with unknown male. ARMSTRONG I haven't been in a fight in a while. Buy that call. Let's go get in some trouble. NOLAN Sure. ARMSTRONG Here we go. EXT. RESIDENCE, DAY - SIDE YARD A woman comes running out of her front yard, shouting, to meet up with the police. SHELLY They're gonna kill each other! My boys they bought these military vests off the Internet, and they wanna try them out! CHEN Bulletproof vests? BRADFORD and CHEN follow her into the yard, where two young men are pointing guns at each other as if dueling. SHELLY Oh, I hope so. They won't listen to me. (to the boys) Maybe you'll listen to them. CHEN Ma'am, get in the house. SHELLY I called the cops. CHEN & BRADFORD Put the guns down! Put them down! JASON & J-BAG 3, 2, 1. The boys fire at each other and both fall back on the ground. BRADFORD Drop your weapons! SHELLY Oh, my God! CHEN (to SHELLY) Stay in the house. JASON See, I told you they'd work. CHEN Drop the guns right now! BRADFORD Drop your weapon now! JASON Relax. We were just messing around. J-Bag bet me the vests wouldn't work. BRADFORD hauls J-BAG to his feet and cuffs him. BRADFORD You been drinking, or are you normally this stupid? CHEN Get up. JASON I-I don't feel so good. CHEN leans down to help JASON up and notices that he has a gunshot wound to his torso. CHEN Tim. Tim. SHELLY Look at you! You guys never listen to what I'm saying. J-BAG I won the bet. SHELLY What bet? He's dying! J-BAG It doesn't matter! It was his idea to buy the vests! CHEN applies pressure to the wound while BRADFORD calls for an ambulance and tries to keep his grip on J-BAG. BRADFORD 7-Adam-19. I need an ambulance. Gunshot wound to the upper torso. J-BAG Mom, go back in the house! SHELLY He's bleeding. What are you doing here? INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, DAY - WAITING AREA ARMSTRONG and NOLAN arrive to find a crowd gathered watching something, and a nurse pushing through them to get to the police. NURSE LISA Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. Just came in on a 5150 hold. He got loose. He's high on something. “He” is a very large man wearing nothing but a kilt and a pair of boots and flinging two security officers around and against the walls. ARMSTRONG Whoa. NOLAN gets out his taser and holds it out of the man’s sight. NOLAN Hey, big guy. Hey. We don't want anybody hurting you, okay? The big guy turns to run straight at NOLAN, who deploys the taser – to no effect. The big man pins NOLAN to the floor and knocks the taser out of his hand. ARMSTRONG Tase him, tase him, tase him! NOLAN grapples with the man as they both get up. NOLAN is clinging to the man’s back and trying to get him in a half-Nelson as ARMSTRONG uses the taser, still to no effect. Suddenly NOLAN catches sight of a doctor standing nearby. NOLAN Come on, big guy. Come on. Grace? GRACE John? The man flings NOLAN into ARMSTRONG and looks like he’s getting ready for another assault. NOLAN I'm open to ideas. GRACE comes up behind the man in the kilt and sinks a syringe into his back. As the man weaves, GRACE and an orderly push a gurney into place and catch the man as he passes out on it, face down. The spectators applaud as the man is wheeled away. GRACE (to NOLAN) Are you okay? NOLAN Yes. Yeah, I probably should have stretched before that. GRACE How long have you been a cop? NOLAN Six months. GRACE You're kidding me. I mean, they didn't let me touch a patient for three years. NOLAN Oh, well, I think LAPD puts value on "on the job" training. I thought you were gonna be a painter. GRACE I mean, things happened, so – ARMSTRONG joins the conversation. ARMSTRONG What did you give him, and can I get some? NOLAN Detective Armstrong, this is Grace. ARMSTRONG Hi. Nice to meet you. How do you know Nolan? NOLAN We went to college together. GRACE Briefly. NURSE Gunshot victim coming in! The gunshot victim (J-BAG) is rushed through on another gurney and GRACE turns to hurry after him. GRACE Good seeing you again, John. Nice to meet you, Detective. ARMSTRONG Nice to meet you. (to NOLAN) This the first time you've seen her since? NOLAN Yeah. She looks good. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - PROCESSING WEST is trying to process a man who’s so drunk he can’t stand. WEST is trying to get his fingerprints. WEST Come on. Yep. Come on. DRUNK No. WEST Come on. Come on. SMITTY Hey, West. What's up? You find a place to live yet? WEST Smitty, it's only been, like, two hours. SMITTY After you book your DUI, meet me at the west gate. DRUNK Ohh. EXT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - PARKING LOT WEST bangs on a gate that’s covered with LAPD signage warning off unauthorized use of the lot. WEST Smitty? SMITTY greets WEST as the gate opens onto a parking lot ringed with trailers, fire pits, and patio furniture. SMITTY Jackson. Welcome home. WEST Home? SMITTY That's right. You have a chance to stay at the best-kept secret in the LAPD - Shangri-La Westgate. Low maintenance, zero commute, and a vacation as easy as "Gentlemen, start your engines." WEST Smitty, you live in the police station parking lot. SMITTY I even have the password to the coffee shop WiFi. Baller, isn't it? WEST "Baller" is not the first word that comes to mind, and not one that sounds good coming out of your mouth. But you know what? This actually is something that might - LOPEZ pulls up outside the lot in their unit. LOPEZ Boot! I told you to meet me at the shop! SMITTY $400 a month, zero security deposit. We got a deal? LOPEZ Let's go! WEST Let me get back to you. INT. POLICE UNIT, DAY - NOLAN/ARMSTRONG ARMSTRONG All right, so, what's the deal with Dr. Grace? NOLAN What do you mean? ARMSTRONG Mm, noticed a little something-something, under the surface. You didn't catch it? NOLAN No, but I was, uh, a little preoccupied. You know, surprise, adrenaline, head trauma. ARMSTRONG Okay. NOLAN What- What do you think it was? ARMSTRONG Hey, I - No idea. No idea. DISPATCH 7-Adam-15, manually activated panic alarm. Multiple distress activations. ARMSTRONG 7-Adam-15, responding. Code 2 High. EXT. CHRISTIAN RESIDENCE, DAY - FRONT ENTRANCE ARMSTRONG and NOLAN try to open the gate across the front door of the house. It doesn’t open. NOLAN Is it locked? ARMSTRONG Let's try the side of the house first. NOLAN notices something odd about the doorbell before following ARMSTRONG around the house. They enter through a side door, quietly, and start to cover the ground floor. ARMSTRONG notices a smear of blood on the wall next to a door. ARMSTRONG Hey. Look. NOLAN Police! Come on out! Show me your hands! ARMSTRONG opens the door and two people, bound, gagged, and beaten, fall out from behind it. ARMSTRONG I got you. I got you. He and NOLAN get the gags off their victims and help them to their feet. ARMSTRONG It's okay. Oh, oh, oh. All right. MATT CHRISTIAN They have Jeff. They have our son. There's - There's two of them. MARILYN CHRISTIAN Shh. It's okay. MATT They're upstairs. ARMSTRONG How long ago? MATT Uh, 20 minutes, half hour. NOLAN (into radio) Home invasion, possible 207. We're clearing the house now. ARMSTRONG Stay here. MATT Okay. Okay. ARMSTRONG and NOLAN move upstairs, checking the hall and rooms as they go, until they find a closed door. When they breach the door they find a bedroom with a young man lying dead on the floor from an apparent gunshot wound. ARMSTRONG Clear! MATT calls out as he comes upstairs. Then he sees the body. MATT Jeff? No - NOLAN I'm sorry. He grabs MATT to keep him away from the body and the crime scene. MATT No! Jeff! God - NOLAN I'm sorry. INT. CHRISTIAN RESIDENCE, DAY - LIVING AREA GREY has arrived along with the crime scene unit and is talking to ARMSTRONG and NOLAN. GREY So, what do we got? NOLAN Our victim's name is Jeff Christian, 17 years old. Apparent gunshot wound to the back. GREY Any others? ARMSTRONG Yeah. Matt and Marilyn Christian. Parents. Both assaulted, described two masked assailants. Males, white, maybe Hispanic. 5'9 " to 5'11", medium build. The primary wore white sneakers with a red triangle. I already put out a BOLO citywide. GREY Can I tell you, it's nice to have a detective here from the get-go. ARMSTRONG Yeah. GREY Now, you want the on-call homicide dicks to respond? ARMSTRONG Nah, I'll take this one. GREY Anything special you want them to pay attention to? NOLAN There was a piece of electrical tape covering the doorbell camera. GREY nods and moves away to speak with someone else. ARMSTRONG Hey. 75% of cops would have missed that tape. That's a nice spot, Officer Nolan. You want to work with me on this one? NOLAN Yes, sir, I do. ARMSTRONG Good. Come on. ARMSTRONG kneels down to get at eye level with the CHRISTIANS, who are sitting together on the couch. ARMSTRONG Mr. and Mrs. Christian, I am, uh, I'm sorry. All I can offer is a promise. I will hunt the men who did this. I will hunt them to the ends of the Earth, and I will not stop until I find them. NOLAN If there's anything you need, the LAPD is here for you. MARILYN Thank you. ARMSTRONG Would you excuse us? ARMSTRONG and NOLAN go back upstairs to examine the crime scene. ARMSTRONG What do we got? NOLAN Is that a puncture wound on the elbow? ARMSTRONG Yeah. Entry wound. The bullet entered the elbow, probably bounced off the humerus bone, severed the brachial, and then came out of the back. NOLAN What's this fluid in his mouth? ARMSTRONG Pulmonary edema, but let's let the coroner handle that. Any sign of struggle? NOLAN Not really, but how does someone get shot in the elbow? ARMSTRONG Reaching for a loaded gun. But what does lunging for a gun suggest? NOLAN He was fighting back. ARMSTRONG Eventually, but why wait so long? NOLAN Was he trying to reason with them? ARMSTRONG Maybe. But maybe shooting the kid wasn't the original plan, but once he grabbed the gun, bang. No choice. But why are they in this room? The master bedroom, the parents' room, that's where all the expensive stuff is. But here - NOLAN Wait a minute. He takes his pen and widens a crack in a panel of the wardrobe. Something is hidden inside. ARMSTRONG Cubby hole. Prescription pills. Yeah. (taking a picture with his phone) I'm gonna have to let the lab confirm, but I'm saying that's Oxycontin. NOLAN You think maybe this was the real target? ARMSTRONG See that piece of plastic on that nail? The baggie probably ripped when they pulled it out, and they lost a few pills. NOLAN So that explains what they were doing up here. So, what do we do next? We dig into Jeff's past, find out everybody he knew. Two of those people either killed him or know who did. ARMSTRONG Perfect. The suspect pool just shrunk from the whole world to about 200 now. Eliminate women, the very tall, short, young, old, we're talking maybe 50 names. We could have these guys ID'd before dinner. INT. POLICE UNIT - LOPEZ/WEST WEST (checking his texts) Good move, pulling me away from Smitty's RV. He just dropped the rent a hundred bucks. Yeah, my dad always said the only true negotiating power is the ability to walk away. LOPEZ Smitty's Shangri-La is where cops go to die. WEST That's one way of looking at it. And the other is that it's freedom, model of efficiency. No commute, cheap rent. LOPEZ You can spin it all you want. Doesn't change the fact that it's another step in the wrong direction. Why not just move back in with your folks while you look for a place? WEST Talk about the wrong direction. LOPEZ 'Cause you haven't told your dad about your test score? WEST No. (off her look) All right, fine. Fine. I'll stay at home tonight, but only 'cause it'll get Smitty to knock down the rent even more. LOPEZ Just like that, we're back where we started. INT. POLICE UNIT - BRADFORD/CHEN CHEN "Chapter Three. The healthy habits of command. Delegation is the key to leading men in times of stress. Don't ever think you can carry the load all by yourself." That is so true. Don't you think? BRADFORD It's hard enough to listen to it without you editorializing. CHEN Hey, I'm happy to stop reading and catch up on paperwork. You're gonna have to re-read all of this anyway to really memorize it. BRADFORD No. I memorize best when I hear it. CHEN Really? BRADFORD Yeah. CHEN Huh. BRADFORD Why? CHEN Nothing. BRADFORD Boot. CHEN You might have a learning difference. A what? CHEN Technically, it's classified as a disability, but it really just means that you're wired to process information differently. In your case, through through hearing rather than reading. BRADFORD I don't have a learning disability. CHEN A lot of people have them. I bet Isabel helped you in the Academy, read through the materials with you and stuff. BRADFORD We're not talking about this. DISPATCH 7-Adam-19, suspicious person. Unknown male sitting in a red minivan. Possibly casing at 1966 Keegan Street. BRADFORD 7-Adam-19, show us responding. CHEN All I'm saying is – (he’s ignoring her) Never mind. EXT. STREET, DAY - RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD BRADFORD and CHEN pull up and park near a red van. They get out and flank the van as its occupant opens the driver door and gets out. BRADFORD Let's talk on the sidewalk. (recognizing the man) Rex? You're still chasing bounty? I thought you moved to Reno. REX All my bail jumpers come to L.A. I got a tip one of 'em's down the street staying at his aunt's place. CHEN We got three 911 calls about a weirdo in a minivan. Casing. REX Watch your tone, Boot. BRADFORD Oh, you don't get to call her "Boot," Rex. You're retired. She's the police now. CHEN Let's see your bail bonds license and the warrant on your jumper. REX (to BRADFORD) You let her talk to you like that? CHEN Nico Sandoval. Attempted murder? Okay, you need to call dispatch and let us know when you're out here. This guy sounds dangerous. REX I've been Code 5 on dangerous men since before you were born, little lady. CHEN Well, in this century, you notify local law enforcement so when you get in the weeds, we know who's out here. REX I don't call for help. Help calls for me. CHEN (to BRADFORD) Maybe you need to let this guy read your book. BRADFORD Rex, if you're gonna be out here, you gotta play by the rules. REX Ah, come on, Tim. I call this in, someone's gonna snatch my bounty. I need that money. BRADFORD Nico shows, you give us a call. No one's gonna "snatch your bounty." REX All right. BRADFORD It's good to see you, Rex. REX It's good seeing you, too, Tim. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BULLPEN NOLAN Detective Armstrong. I spoke to some of Jeff's friends. Turns out he did a stint in rehab three months ago. ARMSTRONG Wow. Funny how his family failed to mention that, and that explains the fluid you saw coming out of his mouth. The only cause for that to happen in a dead body is a bad chest cold or an opioid addiction. NOLAN That's good to know. ARMSTRONG We need to get a warrant for Jeff's rehab records, see if he made any friends in there. NOLAN Actually, I spoke to an ex-girlfriend. She told me while Jeff was in rehab, he connected with a man who was, quote, "ass cancer in a skin suit." Got Jeff to deal some drugs for him while he was in his fancy prep school. ARMSTRONG This skin suit have a name? NOLAN Bruno Winch. He lives over in Highland Park. A team of cops has surrounded WINCH’s place. LOPEZ LAPD! Probation search! Open up! WEST breaks down the door with a battering ram and the cops pour in. NOLAN Bruno Winch! LAPD! LOPEZ Clear! - Clear! OTHER COPS Clear. - Clear! Clear. ARMSTRONG finds WINCH lying on the floor in the kitchen, beaten and bloody. GREY and NOLAN come up behind. GREY Baseball bat. Tough way to go. NOLAN White shoes, red triangles. He leans down to check WINCH’s pulse and WINCH suddenly gasps and opens his eyes. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, DAY - HALLWAY NOLAN I don't see you in 20 years, now I see you twice in one day. GRACE I still cannot believe you're a cop. How long have you been in L.A.? NOLAN Less than a year. Moved out after Sarah and I got divorced and Henry went off to college. GRACE That's right. Yeah, Henry would be, um, 20 now. NOLAN 20. GRACE That's so weird. We're so old. NOLAN Right. And yet, you look exactly the same. How is that even possible? ARMSTRONG arrives, interrupting their tete-a-tete. ARMSTRONG Grace. Did Bruno make it? GRACE He's critical, but I think he'll live. He's in ICU. ARMSTRONG Any chance for an interview? GRACE No, we had to induce a coma. There's a lot of pressure on his brain. NOLAN Couple days, maybe? GRACE Most likely, it's gonna be a week. But we bagged his clothing for you. Excuse me. The two cops watch as she walks away. ARMSTRONG Yeah, see, I didn't feel anything then. Yeah, maybe I'm just making it up. NOLAN Now I think you're just giving me a hard time. ARMSTRONG Absolutely possible. NOLAN So, what are we thinking with Bruno? He and his partner pull a home invasion to get to Jeff. Jeff probably stole something from him maybe owed him drugs, money. But then how does Bruno end up beaten half to death? ARMSTRONG Don't do that - speculate. Making up stories is how innocent men go to jail and guilty men go free. Thus endeth the tip. NOLAN Understood. ARMSTRONG All right. (checks his watch) End of shift. NOLAN You riding back to the station? ARMSTRONG Oh, no, I don't have to clock out like you do. I'm gonna stay here, have some questionable hospital food, see if a miracle happens and Bruno wakes up. NOLAN Okay. Later. ARMSTRONG Later. ARMSTRONG walks over to sit in a chair in the hallway. NOLAN is about to take the elevator down when he looks over at ARMSTRONG. NOLAN Armstrong? I'm doing a huge renovation on a house I just bought. I could really use an extra set of hands. Pizza and beer on me. ARMSTRONG Pizza and beer? INT. NOLAN'S HOUSE, NIGHT NOLAN leads ARMSTRONG through the house, beer and tools in hand. ARMSTRONG This place is a wreck. NOLAN Yes. But it's my wreck. ARMSTRONG So, hey, tell me about Grace. NOLAN We dated. ARMSTRONG Yeah, I knew it. She had that "bad breakup" energy. NOLAN It was 20 years ago, and she's wearing a ring, probably has a kid. I'm sure she barely remembers me. ARMSTRONG Yeah, yeah. Just tell me what happened. NOLAN We met my junior year. I was dating my ex-wife, Sarah, since high school, and, uh, we hit a bad spell and broke up. And that's when Grace happened. (remembering) Yeah, we'd been friends for a few months, and there had always been a spark, but it just went off like a bomb. Crawled all over each other for two weeks. It was zero to 160 in the span of a heartbeat. ARMSTRONG And then? NOLAN Then Sarah showed up at my dorm eight weeks pregnant. ARMSTRONG Damn. Damn. And you did the right thing? NOLAN There was really no other choice. I still loved her, and that was my kid. So, I, uh, dropped out of school, packed up my things, moved back to Foxburg. I was married in a month, a dad within six, got a job in construction, never looked back. ARMSTRONG Never? NOLAN Well, I mean, not never. ARMSTRONG Now your paths have crossed again, so - NOLAN So, nothing. I'm seeing someone, and she's married. ARMSTRONG Married women are the best. You find yourself a sexually frustrated, hot little mama whose husband isn't doing it right - NOLAN I can't do that. I mean, just thinking about that stresses me out. That's - That's how lives are ruined. ARMSTRONG (approvingly) That is the right answer. Hey, you can't be faithful to a girl, you can't be faithful to an oath or a badge. NOLAN I'll drink to that. EXT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - SIDEWALK BRADFORD encounters WEST rushing toward the entrance. BRADFORD Running late? WEST Yeah, had to commute from my folks' place in Simi Valley. BRADFORD Half the LAPD lives in Ventura County, but they all seem to make it to work on time. WEST Yeah, well, my dad was getting all up in my business about getting extended. Literally had to stop him from coming down here and lighting up Lopez. BRADFORD Look, the hole you're in has nothing to do with Lopez. But she's gonna pay the price when the commander's son goes belly-up halfway through training. WEST I told him it's not her fault. BRADFORD Yeah, so, tell him again. Lopez bent over backwards for you. She protected your ass when any other T. O. would've sent you packing. You owe her your career. WEST I know. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, DAY - HALLWAY NOLAN is in street clothes, looking around, when a nurse stops to talk. NURSE LISA Hey. You're the cop who wrestled the guy in the kilt. NOLAN Yes. Actually, I'm here checking on another patient. Bruno Winch? We're trying to I.D. his p- GRACE arrives and interrupts. GRACE Bruno's still in a coma. NOLAN Right. I figured as much. I just thought I'd come and check. GRACE You could have done that by phone. NURSE LISA (sensing tension) See ya. She exits and GRACE and NOLAN go on with their conversation. GRACE I officially feel like you're stalking me. NOLAN That is as ridiculous as it is accurate. We really just didn't get a chance to catch up yesterday. Like, how long have you been working here? And, uh, do you have any kids? GRACE I've been here three weeks, I'm the new head of emergency medicine, and I have an 8-year-old. NOLAN Oh, 8's such a great age, I mean, obviously, they're all great, but 8 is - GRACE John, listen. I don't mean to be rude. I can't do this with you. NOLAN Grace, it's been 20 years. GRACE You left a note on my door. I mean, I never heard from you again. NOLAN Sarah was pregnant. GRACE You broke my heart. I mean, I thought that we were both in love, and then you just disappeared. (to herself) I can't believe that I am still this angry with you. NOLAN Grace - GRACE You know, I'll have them call you when your suspect wakes up. She walks off, leaving NOLAN looking rather baffled. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - RECEPTION AREA NOLAN sees MATT CHRISTIAN sitting in the reception area as he comes in for his shift. NOLAN Mr. Christian? Can I help you with something? MATT Uh, Detective Armstrong asked me to come in so he could re-interview me after, you know, the initial shock's passed. But I'm not sure it has. NOLAN I can only imagine what you're going through right now. Hell, if somebody hurt my Henry, I'd be out for blood. (a beat, as he notices MATT’s experssion) I'll go let Detective Armstrong know that you're here. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - BULLPEN NOLAN Armstrong. ARMSTRONG Yeah. What's up, buddy? NOLAN I was just talking to Matt Christian in the lobby. ARMSTRONG Mm-hmm? NOLAN I told him if anything happened to my son, I'd be out for blood, and he just got this look. I mean, I-I could be misinterpreting it. ARMSTRONG Our job as investigators is not to speculate. It's to think about what we've seen, what we've heard, and articulate the facts. What are those facts? NOLAN Matt paid for Jeff to go to rehab. Uh, that's where Jeff met Bruno. It's definitely possible that Matt met Bruno there when he was visiting his son. Maybe Matt recognized Bruno's voice during the home invasion? ARMSTRONG Let's go talk to Matt. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - INTERVIEW ROOM ARMSTRONG Thanks for coming by, Matt. How's Marilyn today? MATT We didn't sleep. She - She can't stop crying. ARMSTRONG Yeah, I'm sorry. I only have a few follow-up questions, and then we'll get you back to her, okay? MATT Yeah. ARMSTRONG All right, was Jeff on pain medication? We found Oxy in his room. MATT He tore his knee last year. Doctor gave him a couple of pills. He was hooked for a little while, but I got him clean. ARMSTRONG Re-Birth Malibu. MATT That's right. They straightened him right out. NOLAN Did you ever visit him there? MATT Of course. You know, when they let me. ARMSTRONG Did you meet a patient named Bruno Winch? A long pause. MATT seems to think but comes across as evasive. MATT Doesn't ring a bell. But what's this got to do with the home invasion? That wasn't about Jeff. ARMSTRONG Well actually, we think he was the real target. MATT What are you talking about? NOLAN Bruno Winch is one of the men that entered your home, bound and beat you, and killed your son. ARMSTRONG I have a photo of him. Maybe you recognize him. (pulls out the photo of WINCH bloody on the floor) Oops. Uh, that's the wrong photo. That's what he looked like yesterday when we found him, so - MATT Is he dead? NOLAN No. He's just in the hospital. We're waiting for him to wake up so he can tell us who did that to him. ARMSTRONG I don't actually have the photo with me. Let me go get it. He exits the room. NOLAN Matt, why didn't you mention that Jeff had a drug problem? MATT Wasn't a problem anymore. And I didn't want his whole memory to be that. NOLAN Of course. Well, that's a father's job - protect his kids. MATT He was the best part of me. I failed him. NOLAN Matt, I know you feel guilty. Put him in rehab to straighten him out, watch him get connected with bad people who just pulled him deeper down, but that is not your fault. If you know anything that can lead us to Bruno's partner, you need to tell me. Just let us do our job. ARMSTRONG re-enters the room. ARMSTRONG Sorry. Printer's broken. Uh, I can e-mail you the photo. MATT Sure. I really have to get back to my wife. ARMSTRONG Of course. Of course. Come on, we'll be in touch. Soon. MATT Thank you. MATT exits the room. NOLAN So, what do you think? ARMSTRONG He's out for revenge. NOLAN We get a surveillance team on him? If he knows who Bruno is, it's likely he knows who Bruno's partner is, and he'll go after him next. ARMSTRONG Which is why when I stepped out, I had SIS put a tracker on Matt's car. Airship will follow. NOLAN While we hunt down the partner. ARMSTRONG While we hunt down the partner. INT. POLICE UNIT - LOPEZ/WEST LOPEZ You doing okay? WEST Fine. LOPEZ I know what's bothering you. Seven Year Glitch. WEST Sorry. Seven Year what? LOPEZ Glitch. The most dangerous time for a cop happens every seven years, like clockwork. It's when most of us lose the passion, grow complacent, disillusioned. I went through it myself. WEST Okay, well I mean, I've only been on for six months. LOPEZ You're not a regular rookie. You've been gung-ho since you were a kid. And now you're glitching early. WEST Okay, well, how do I fix my glitch? How'd you fix yours? LOPEZ I became a T. O. Changed my routine. Challenged myself. WEST Well, I am challenging myself. Me not being all in, all the time, is me changing my routine. (less defensively) But you know, I can I can put all that on hold for six more months, embrace my inner slacker after you're free of me. LOPEZ I'm not asking you that - WEST I know. But it's the right thing. INT. POLICE UNIT - BRADFORD/CHEN CHEN Do you want me to read to you? BRADFORD No. CHEN Come on. You have to learn it. BRADFORD I can do that on my own. They pull up behind the red van, which is parked in the same place as yesterday. CHEN What are we doing back here? BRADFORD I checked the computer. Rex didn't bring in his bounty last night, which means he's been out here this whole time. CHEN So this is a welfare check? BRADFORD Oh, don't put it to him like that. (sees the empty, damaged van) 7-Adam-19, got a broken car window, missing driver. Send backup to my location. He and CHEN follow a blood trail to some overgrown weeds, where REX is lying with a wound in his leg. BRADFORD Rex. REX Eh, that little punk hit me with a cheap shot. CHEN 7-Adam-19, we need an RA to 1966 Keegan. Assault victim. Broken arm, possible concussion. BRADFORD Where'd he go? REX His aunt's house. He's long gone by now, though. BRADFORD runs off, presumably to the aunt’s house. CHEN We need a warrant, or backup. (to REX) Sit down. REX No, go - Go, go! Go with him. I'm fine. Go! CHEN takes off after BRADFORD. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY – BULLPEN ARMSTRONG comes up to where NOLAN is working at a desk. ARMSTRONG Tony Craig! That's Bruno's partner. He's all over Bruno's cellphone. They even texted about the home invasion. Apartment's in Century City. GREY comes to join them. GREY Matt Christian's in the wind. NOLAN I thought there was a tracker on his car. GREY He ditched it at the mall. Disappeared. NOLAN Which mall? GREY Century City. NOLAN He's going after Tony. INT. RESIDENCE, DAY - NICO'S AUNT'S HOUSE BRADFORD breaks down the door, weapon drawn, CHEN close behind. BRADFORD Nico, where is he? MICHELLE He, I don't know. He isn't here. BRADFORD There's blood on your front door. That's exigent circumstances, so I'm not leaving till you tell me where he is. MICHELLE He isn't here! CHEN So, you're gonna call him. Otherwise we're gonna book you for aiding and abetting a fugitive. (hands MICHELLE a cell phone) Do it now. MICHELLE makes a call as BRADFORD and CHEN look around the house. SANDOVAL (on speaker) Hey. What's up? MICHELLE Cops are here. Where are you? CHEN hears an echo and follows the sound to a closed closet door. SANDOVAL I'm in Florida. BRADFORD and CHEN take aim at the door. BRADFORD Nico Sandoval! You got five seconds to surrender! CHEN flings the door open to find SANDOVAL hiding in the closet, talking into his phone. SANDOVAL I'm in Florida, yo. He steps out of the closet and puts down the phone. He’s short and stocky and doesn’t look threatening, so BRADFORD and CHEN holster their weapons. (Ed.: Big mistake.) SANDOVAL You guys want some of this? SANDOVAL proceeds to take on both cops in a hand-to-hand fight, and he almost succeeds in taking them down, but BRADFORD eventually pins the guy and cuffs him as he yells. SANDOVAL Michelle! Bail me out, okay? CHEN (to MICHELLE) You're coming, too. Let's go. MICHELLE What?! CHEN Right now. EXT. TONY CRAIG RESIDENCE, DAY ARMSTRONG Tony's gate is open. ARMSTRONG and NOLAN move through the house, clearing each room. NOLAN Clear. - Clear. ARMSTRONG Matt got here before us. NOLAN He must have knew we were right behind him, took Tony someplace to finish him off. ARMSTRONG Yeah. But where? INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, DAY - INTERVIEW ROOM MARILYN CHRISTIAN is being questioned by LOPEZ and WEST. LOPEZ Mrs. Christian, I know you think you're protecting him, but what your husband is doing is wrong. MARILYN looks stubbornly away. WEST Look, ma'am, right now, you can't see beyond this moment. Neither can your husband. Making those men pay for what they did is all he cares about. I know just a little about what it's like to be obsessed with something at the expense of everything else. And trust me, it will not change the way you feel. Look, your son is gone, and what your husband is doing will destroy both of you. I know it's too late to save Jeff, but if you can tell us where Matt is you might not lose your husband. INT. CONSTRUCTION FACILITY, DAY ARMSTRONG and NOLAN have their weapons drawn as they seacrh a large warehouse-type facility full of massive construction equipment. NOLAN spots MATT CHRISTIAN standing on a machine with a wire noose in his hand. ARMSTRONG Matt! What did you do with Tony? MATT What he deserved. And now it's over - or it's gonna be soon. ARMSTRONG notices a cement mixer filling a vat nearby. ARMSTRONG The cement. Matt put Tony in the cement. He runs over to search the vat. MATT That criminal killed my boy. NOLAN I know, and he's gonna pay, okay? So, you don't have to do this. You can just come on down. MATT You don't get it. I died in that bedroom alongside my son. The only thing keeping me alive was killing them. And now that's over. ARMSTRONG Hey, Nolan! Look, I found him, but I can't get him up. Help me! We can only save one guy, and right now, Tony is the victim! NOLAN is torn between helping MATT and saving CRAIG, but he tries one last time. NOLAN Matt, I know this seems hopeless right now, but don't make your wife bury two bodies. It will destroy her. ARMSTRONG Nolan! Help me! Come here. NOLAN turns his back on MATT, who fits the noose around his neck. The sound of MATT leaping to his death, the chain snapping shut, makes NOLAN pause, but then he hurries over to help ARMSTRONG lift CRAIG out of the cement vat. NOLAN Come on! ARMSTRONG Watch yourself. ABCs. Go. (they perform CPR until CRAIG coughs and takes a breath) There we go. We saved him. NOLAN looks over to see MATT’s feet dangling above the floor on the other side of the machine. INT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, NIGHT - GYM BRADFORD is working out with a punching bag when CHEN walks in. CHEN Training for the rematch with Nico? BRADFORD Ah, we got him in the end. CHEN Here. She hands him an audio drive with earbuds attached. BRADFORD What's this? CHEN It is Split Second Leadership: Leading Men In The Line of Duty, the audio book. BRADFORD This book's out of print. There's no audio book. CHEN Yeah, which is why I recorded one for you. Uh, listen, I talked to Isabel, and from what she said, it's clear you're a kinesthetic learner, which just means that you need to listen while you're being active in order to absorb things. There's no shame in it. Really. Honestly, it's probably why you excel at being a cop. I'll see you tomorrow. BRADFORD Yeah. (a long pause; appreciatively) Thanks. He puts in the earbuds and resumes his workout as CHEN’s voice comes out of the drive. CHEN (on recording) Split Second Leadership by Curtis Philbrick, read by the best rookie you've ever trained. EXT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, NIGHT - HALLWAY CHEN is walking out at the end of her shift when LOPEZ catches up with her. LOPEZ Hey, headed home? CHEN Yeah. LOPEZ You live alone, right? CHEN Yeah. First time ever. No roommates. It's heaven. Why? EXT. MID-WILSHIRE STATION, NIGHT - WEST PARKING LOT WEST knocks on SMITTY’s trailer door. He’s carrying a duffel and pulling a small suitcase. SMITTY opens the door with a grin. SMITTY Well, welcome aboard. Women's softball's on ESPN, and I just made a pitcher of mojitos. Come on in. WEST steps inside with his stuff and the door closes. MAN’S VOICE OFF-SCREEN Yeah, nice! WEST opens the door a moment later, tosses his stuff back out, and follows it. WEST Nope. He starts to walk away, disappointed, but is confronted by CHEN. CHEN Hey. I talked to Lopez, and she said you needed a place to live and a kickass roommate to help you find some balance. WEST (fervently) Thank God. Thank you. He hugs CHEN, who laughs and hugs him back. CHEN Aww. Yeah. Come on. Come on. Let's go. Let's get out of here. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, NIGHT - REX'S ROOM REX is laid up with a broken arm and other injuries. BRADFORD steps into his room. BRADFORD Hey. REX Good Lord, don't you have someplace better to be? BRADFORD It's nice to see you, too. REX Hey, thanks. BRADFORD Look, I put the paperwork through under your name. So, you're gonna get the bounty on Nico. REX Thank you. BRADFORD Look, Rex, I know you're not the kind of guy that asks for help, but if you ever find yourself out here again, just give me a heads up. REX Little professional courtesy, right? BRADFORD Exactly. REX All right. Thanks, brother. BRADFORD All right. You take care. INT. SHAW MEMORIAL, NIGHT - ELEVATOR BAY GRACE waits for the elevator, sighing. The door opens but she doesn’t get in – NOLAN steps out. NOLAN Hey. GRACE It's been a long day, John. NOLAN No, I know. Of course. And I'll only take a moment of your time. Look, I left you a note because I wouldn't have been able to go through with it if I saw you in person. And I don't regret marrying Sarah, and I have loved every minute of being Henry's dad. But what I did to you was selfish, and you deserve better, and I'm sorry. GRACE Thank you. NOLAN Thank you. So now that we're friends again, it hurts when I do this. He rolls his shoulder, obviously joking, and GRACE smiles. GRACE Good night, John. NOLAN Good night, Grace. Night General